What is it about?
Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may be considered as an add-on to conventional medicine in the management of pain in cancer patients. CHM could also be considered as an alternative to conventional medicine for reducing constipation. Evidence on the use of CHM for treating anorexia and fatigue in cancer patients is uncertain, warranting further research.
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Why is it important?
There are no existing systematic reviews (SR) synthesizing evidence on the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for managing common cancer symptoms of fatigue, chronic pain, anorexia, and constipation. In view of this research gap, this SR aims to summarize results from CHM randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on these outcomes.
Perspectives
Currently, treatment options for managing fatigue are very limited. Within these few choices, adverse effects have further restricted their clinical use, leaving this symptom widely under-treated. For the management of cancer-related pain, the World Health Organization analgesics ladder (non-opioids, adjuvants, and opioids analgesics) provides a stepwise relief approach. Progestational agents and corticosteroids may be effective for anorexia, but both of them cause considerable adverse effects without improving survival. In view of these evidence gaps in conventional medicine, the role of CHM in symptom management should be further investigated
Dr. Vincent CH Chung
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Chinese Herbal Medicine for Symptom Management in Cancer Palliative Care, Medicine, February 2016, Wolters Kluwer Health,
DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000002793.
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